Shine
by Survivor at midnight
Summary: 'Always like the sun, I want to watch over you.'


**Update: September 20, 2017**

So I've been gone for literally forever. I know. College is eating me alive. I'm in class from 8am to 10pm most days. And when I'm not, I'm working on papers and projects and doing research.

One of my classes is a four-hour-long lab. I mix chemicals and take measurements and essentially wander around a bunch of volatile chemicals for four hours. It sounds fun. It isn't.

This particular piece was an idea from a passing comment from a random stranger whilst I watched Big Hero 6. Said comment was "Why is it always raining when there's a funeral?" (And that's all the spoilers I will give.) So I wanted to write something that used the concept of a sunny funeral day. So yes, someone is dead in this story. Don't hate me!

And I will cease prattling for now. Y'all know the drill. Reviews feed the muse! (No really, they make me so happy)

Disclaimer: אני לא הבעלים של נארוטו. (Hebrew)

* * *

Tenten wanted to _murder someone._ More specifically, the idiot who controlled the weather.

It was a fucking beautiful day. Bright blue skies, a lovely soft breeze, even a few perfectly fluffy clouds lazily floating by. It wasn't too hot or too cold, and the sun was shining proudly overhead as though it had accomplished the incredibly hard task of existing. All of the world seemed to be smiling.

It made her want to _destroy everything_.

It shouldn't have been this bright and sunny and cheerful. It should have been as dark and gloomy and rainy and pitiful and morose as her soul. The heavens should have been weeping in sorrow. The earth should have been moaning in pain. The wind should have been howling in torment.

How _dare_ the world mock her misery?

 _Neji is dead._

That was the stupid cliche right? When someone dies the world reflects the sorrow of that person's passing. It was like that every other time she could think of. The Sound Four Invasion. Asuma-Sensei. The death of Naruto's Jiriya. She didn't count the invasion of Pein, since everyone who lost their life that day got it back thanks to Nagato. But literally _every other time_ it was a miserable day when someone was laid to rest.

 _Do you not care that Neji is gone?_

Of course, Tenten knew she was being a bit irrational. But it _wasn't fair_. It was like the world was perfectly content to go on without Neji. Like he didn't _matter_. But he _did_.

How many people did he save? How many missions did he complete flawlessly, in order to save someone? How many more did he throw away for that same reason? How many times did fate try to push him down only to be pushed aside instead? And injustice of injustices, whatever powers that may be refused to acknowledge him even in his death.

Tenten glared at the sky, willing black clouds to boil on the horizon, to no avail.

Tenten took a moment to curse every deity she could think of. And then cursed a few she didn't even know. And sent a few out to some she made up. It made her feel a bit better. Not much, but a bit.

A sparrow floated down some feet in front of her, curiously picking at the grass. Tenten glowered at it too, because why not? If things were to follow her master plan, that bird would have been drenched. Said bird glanced at her, one onyx eye shining in the afternoon sun, before continuing to mind it's own business.

"Figures you don't give a damn either," the brunette muttered scathingly as she turned away.

The funeral should have been closing right about now. The one for all those lost in the War. Tenten just couldn't bring herself to attend. To stand for hours while that stupidly happy sun essentially disrespected everyone who would be laid to rest would drive her mad. To have people tell her 'he died bravely' or ' he's in a better place now' or 'he wouldn't want you to lose hope' when _none_ of them knew Neji like she did would probably make her consider adding their pictures to the altar.

Then again, moping alone wasn't doing much for her either. She, at the least, would visit the memorial later to pay her respects for everyone. Maybe later that night, when the darkness would better match her mood.

A few minutes later the bird took off, flying past Tenten's line of vision once more. Too petulant to turn away, Tenten watched the brown bird wheel overhead for a few moments before it dissappeared into the horizon.

And then Tenten signed in frustration as she tugged on her hair. She was being an ass to one of the few remembrances of her teammate she had left. And without reason at that.

"You're probably glaring at me disapprovingly, aren't you Neji?" she murmured to the empty air. She pulled a kunai out and flipped it around for a bit.

It was a damn beautiful piece, any idiot could tell that. She of all people knew how gorgeous this particular blade was. Diamond-tipped, leather-wrapped, fine-tuned, gorgeous. Engraved on the blade was the faintest line of text that she couldn't read, since it was in some other language. But even past that, Tenten loved this one on particular, simply because it was one of the few things that Neji had ever given her. And from that small selection, this was the the first thing he had given her that was a mix of personal feelings and interests and functionality and she just loved it.

"Tenten."

Said woman looked up from the blade in her hand to see Hiashi Hyuuga standing over her. He considered her for a moment - hair unkempt, bags under her eyes, clothes rumpled, and _not at his nephew's funeral_ \- before looking away into the cerulean sky.

"I remember that piece. My brother got it for me when I became clan leader. I gave it to Neji after he passed his jonin exam."

Tenten turned the color of milk. "I-I'm sorry, Hiashi-sama, I didn't realize - here, please have it back. It belongs in your family."

She practically sprang to her feet and offered the blade to the older man. 'How embarrassing! Why on earth would Neji give me a family heirloom?'

Hiashi closed Tenten's hand back around the hilt and gently pushed it back to her. "No, it was a gift. It would be rude to take it back. And besides, Neji clearly wanted you to have it. I will not disrespect his wishes - especially now."

And that had Tenten making an attempt of impersonating a cherry. "Thank you sir," she murmured, "but I really don't know why he'd bother."

Hiashi regarded her again with a tilt of his head. "It suits you. Spirit, mind, and body. And it is my belief that he wished to honor you in some way that would be meaningful to you. I think he chose aptly."

Tenten blinked. 'I was in any way deserving of honor? Honor past being a shinobi of Konoha? _Neji thought to honor me?_ '

The sparrow came back, fluttering about Hiashi's head before lighting on his outstretched hand. It gave a pleasant chirp, ruffling its feathers contentedly.

"My nephew made many decisions in his lifetime, as short as it was, and none of them were made lightly. Whatever his intentions were, I am certain that he had his reasons for his actions. The knife is yours. And I will always welcome you under my roof, Tenten." Hiashi's face softened as he gently stroked the bird's glossy feathers and released it back to the air. Instead, the sparrow fluttered over to Tenten's shoulder and looked at the shiny metal in her hand before turning it's dark eyes on her, holding her gaze for a moment before flying off once more. Both watched as it vanished over the treetops.

"Hizashi may have been my younger brother, but he watched out for me more than anyone else ever did. His burden was large; he had to protect the main family and his own child. It costed him his life, and I thought that I had failed him as the older sibling. But even until his death, he was content, because he was protecting the people he loved the most. His older brother and his son."

Tenten's thumb rubbed over the engravings. "I see where Neji got his hero complex from." Because he was always out to protect his own, wasn't he? Naruto, Hinata and Hanabi, his family, his teammates, his home. Same as his father before him, same as his uncle now. Her eyes slid to the man besides her. Neji got it from both of them.

Then why give this sentimental piece to her of all people? Tenten wasn't a idiot; self-proclaimed Weapons Mistress of the Leaf she may have been, but she knew there would always be someone better than her at something. Truth of the matter was, a lot of people were better than her at a lot of things. Neji and Lee were there to balance out her shortcomings. She didn't have a large clan to back her name. She didn't have a family, however small, to protect; so she settled for protecting her teammates and home with everything she had. _Like his father did within the clan._

"Hiashi-sama, do you maybe know the meaning of the words on this blade? I can't understand them." Tenten's voice was small and almost adrift with the wind. She had no idea why she asked, since she was beginning to guess at the meaning.

"'Always like the sun, I want to watch over you.'"

A tear slid down the edge of the kunai. And suddenly Tenten was glad that the sun was shining down on her today.

* * *

AN: So this line 'Always like the sun, I want to watch over you.' is part of one of my favorite Japanese songs. L'Arc-en-Ciel's _Shine_ IS BEAUTIFUL. Please, go find an acoustic version and listen to it.

Like, favorite, follow, review, and go SHINE!


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